Re: Musharraf hits out at retired generals
Which happened at the same time he was sacking the judiciary.
The PEMRA regulations came out, and channels were asked to sign. Consequence, legally, of not signing, was shuttting them down. Which they did for GEO, right? Nothing illegal there - regulations come out all the time from governmental institutions and they can execute a punishment if they want. GEO should be able to take it to the courts, though, it just HAPPENED that the courts were being sacked at the same time.
So, its a tough call, but you are right in your theory. However, that would hold up in a civilized society where there is some intact judicial system. Pakistan's judiciary might have been ianatomically ntact, but it was functionally not intact. Taking a case to a fragmented court system, with all the violence the lawyers were involved in, wouldn't have helped much.
Therefore, what he did was questionable, but I don't see that if the same happened in America, that it would be seen as a questionable thing here. In the US, if you have a TV station, and you were to bring clerics preaching an offensive form of Islam, as they were doing on some of these channels (also now reminds me of a vehementally violent cleric from London they had on some ARY London show), they would be shut down, and no questions asked.
Again, it shows where the mindset of the Pakistani people is. Its at a point of "Well, we don't like it, and I wouldn't blow myself up...but someone's gotta teach those white people a lesson!"
And so of course, these things seem more upsetting to Pakistanis.
Shoot, I'd be mad too if my favorite cooking show were off air. But I wouldn't regret not seeing the ridiculously hideous faces (and equally hideous messages) of violent clerics on the TV.
i’d appreciate it. sounds like something interesting to read.